Calamaran Empire
"Calamar represents stability, order, and freedom. When our empire controlled all the seas, ships were free and safe to travel from Izir to Shavhan without ever being in danger" - High Admiral Sebestien Canarro The Calamaran Empire is a navally powerful nation that was once the largest empire in the world, but has shrunk significantly in the last century. The Empire became powerful under the guidance of Ulgard Greenblood, a dark ascended who became the focus of the Calamaran religion of Navicism. The heart of the empire is Isla Calamar, and the great city of Calavierus. Cities and Provinces The Borders of the Calamaran Empire are constantly changing as they fight a war on many fronts However, their main provinces mostly remain consistent. These are West Calamar, East Calamar, and the Central isles. Calamaran territory is mostly within the Shattered Sea. West Calamar is home to Isla Calamar itself, and the capital city of Calavierus. The large uninhabited isle of Scathyro dominates this region of the sea, and is a large border between Isla Calamar and Portuqa. The Scathyran Canal has been built across this isle, and is currently controlled by the Calamaran Empire. The hub of East Calamar is Porta Pyrus, one of Calamar's main strongholds of power, and where trade is conducted between the Calamarans and the Izirians. This region is quite close to Svoldia, and is prone to storms. The Central Isles contain many small fortresses, port towns, and trading outposts, but there are no islands substantial enough to support a full city. Within this region, the Calamarans often fight with the Savage Islanders. Politics The Monarchy The Calamaran Empire is a monarchy, ruled by the Emperor upon the Anchored Throne. The Throne itself is seen as a cultural artifact, and is crafted from the debris of the many ships destroyed during Calamar's conquest of Portuqa. The Emperor is the absolute ruler of the Calamaran Empire, and is considered to be the chosen of the Sea King. Currently ruling is Emperor Ramazan I of the Eldranador dynasty, who is by all accounts a sickly old man and has five wives. The Theocracy Beneath the Emperor are the Court of the Anchored Throne, priests and devotees of the Sea King who run the more mundane affairs across the empire. These theocrats are referred to as "lords", and perform the same function as an aristocrat would. They are usually incredibly wealthy, and are exclusively male. The Court is structured in quite a classist manner, with new lords being chosen from the upper class. In Calamar, faith is a good way to accrue wealth, though poor people are unlikely to be inducted as priests. Dukes In the Theocracy, a duke controls an important region of the Calamaran Empire, and is a highly ranking noble, second only to the Emperor, the High Admiral, and the Sacerdeus. When the Calamaran Empire controlled the whole of the Shattered sea, there were many dukes. Now, there are only six. The six dukes are as follows: Duke Tarquin Eldranador, an illegitimite son of the Emperor, has been granted the position of Duke of Isla Calamar. Duke Salvador Abello, ruler of Portuqa. Though Nothindria have gained a significant foothold on this province. Duke Zeno Vhassilo, ruler of Nochegardia, who is known for encouraging the use of dark magic and necromancy. Duke Burkin Omerris of Ticaretto, a lazy and overweight nobleman, but a shrewd businessman. Duke Ibrahim Iskerro of Tormentisto, who is related to the pirate admiral Ali Iskerro, with whom he has a fierce rivalry. Duke Steraco De Vivarro, presumably still the ruler of Turkhana, though the situation on the isle is unstable and it is frequently besieged, not to mention this duke has gone missing. Mardeus members of the theocracy who devote themselves heavily to the Sea King, and are gifted with powers in return, are given the title "Mardeus". These priests are a religious authority and are considered to be the true voices of the Sea King. They don't tend to intervene in the running of the empire, but are often sent into battle or to new colonies to bring luck to the Calamarans, and to utilise their divine power. An individual called the "Sacerdeus" is the leader of the Mardeuses. His word is divine law, second only to the Emperor. A person becomes the Sacerdeus after recieving a prophetic vision from the Sea King. Harbourmaster A position of authority within the theocracy is that of Harbourmaster. Being a naval trading empire, controlling an important harbour is an influential position within Calamar. Across the empire, Harbourmasters act as treasurers and control trade tariffs. The most influential of these is the Harbourmaster of Calavierus, the nation's capital. They have some authority over other harbourmasters, and are considered to be in charge of money and trade in the nation. Admiral Admirals are important people in the Calamaran Empire. They lead the military and are in charge of all operations by military vessels. The High Admiral leads all other admirals, and is in charge of the whole military. Lords across the Water Calamar is an expansive empire with new colonies settled and battles fought all across the Shattered Sea and beyond. Therefore it is inefficient for the Emperor and his court to control all of this. Therefore, if a ship or group of ships are far from the centre of the empire, the highest ranking military officer within a certain distance is considered the "Lord across the Water", and basically has complete autonomy, as long as they act in what could reasonably be considered the best interests of the Empire. "Lords across the Water" are usually admirals or captains sent out to invade, colonise, or fight a war, and without the gaze of their emperor upon them they can perform many daring deeds, or horrifying actions. Some of the biggest war crimes in history have been done by Calamaran captains who have gone mad with power. These captains usually "discover" incredible wealth and claim new lands, and return to the Empire as heroes. Slavery The Calamaran Empire are slave traders. Though their slave trade is not quite as extreme as that of the Izirian Confederacy, they still use slaves for a lot of their manual labour, and for some other purposes. Calamarans usually enslave any captured enemies from their conquests and wars, and often stop at islands they've subjugated to enslave a large amount of the population. Calamarans do not enslave their own men. However, a lot of their women are slaves, though they are not used for manual labour. Most wealthy Calamaran homes will have a female slave to cook, clean, and perform other servant tasks. However, worse than this is how female slaves are used at the infamous Calamaran brothels and "pleasure boats". The cruel slavery that the Calamarans partake in is the main reason they have so many enemies.